Medicare Enrolled
Dr. Christopher Ames, MD
Neurological Surgery · San Francisco, CA
Practice pattern: Clinical Cardiology
— Primarily office-based clinical cardiology
Mixed engagement
Very High
DATA COVERAGE
Data in 4 of 4 federal sources
Measures public federal data availability — not provider quality
Informational, not a quality rating.
This page presents federal public records about Dr. Ames from CMS (NPPES, Open Payments, Medicare Provider Utilization, PECOS). It is not medical advice, an endorsement, or a judgment of clinical quality. Always consult the provider directly and a licensed clinician for medical decisions. Read methodology →
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What this data tells you about Dr. Ames
Dr. Christopher Ames is a neurological surgery specialist in San Francisco, CA, with 19 years of NPI registration. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Ames performed 1,459 Medicare services across 708 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Ames received a total of $6,784,836 from 29 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 1402 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in neurological surgery. The majority of payments are classified as financial or ownership interests (royalties, licensing fees, or investment interests). Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.
The Data Coverage level for Dr. Ames is Very High — reflecting how much public federal data is available about this provider. Patients are encouraged to use this data as one of several factors when choosing a healthcare provider.
✓ 19 years in practice
▲ Top 5% volume in CA
$6,784,836 industry payments
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗1,459
Medicare services
Top 5% in CA for neurological surgery
708
Unique beneficiaries
$290
Avg. Medicare payment
Medicare patients only (65+ / disabled) · How to read this →
~77 Medicare services per year of practice
Top procedures by volume
Ranked by number of services performed for Medicare patients. Avg. submitted charge is what the provider billed; avg. Medicare payment is what CMS paid.
| Procedure | Volume | Avg. paid | Avg. submitted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spinal fusion of additional segment A surgical procedure to join an additional section of the spine to the existing fusion. This is performed as a separate or subsequent step to stabilize more of the spinal column. |
838 | $222 | $2,019 |
| New patient office visit (45-59 min) An initial office visit for a new patient lasting between 45 and 59 minutes. This code covers the total time spent by the physician or qualified healthcare professional on the date of the encounter. |
87 | $106 | $867 |
| Office visit, established patient (20-29 min) An office visit for an existing patient lasting between 20 and 29 minutes. The visit involves medical evaluation and management of the patient's condition. |
69 | $55 | $393 |
| Insertion of instrumentation to pelvic bones A surgical procedure involving the placement of hardware or devices into the pelvic bones. |
65 | $251 | $1,875 |
| Office visit, established patient (30-39 min) A follow-up office visit for an existing patient lasting between 30 and 39 minutes. The visit involves medical evaluation and management of the patient's condition. |
63 | $85 | $577 |
| Fusion of spine in lower back | 54 | $758 | $8,450 |
| Spinal stabilization device placement, 7-12 segments Surgical placement of a device to stabilize the back involving 7 to 12 spine bone segments. |
48 | $581 | $4,169 |
| New patient office visit (30-44 min) An initial office visit for a new patient lasting between 30 and 44 minutes. This code is used when the total time spent on the date of the encounter falls within this range. |
44 | $68 | $575 |
| Spine fusion with cage or mesh device insertion A surgical procedure to fuse spine bones by inserting a cage or mesh device into the disc space. |
34 | $213 | $1,321 |
| Spinal stabilization device placement, 13+ segments Surgical placement of a device to stabilize the spine involving 13 or more vertebral segments. |
33 | $648 | $5,148 |
| Lower back spinal fusion with bone and disc removal A surgical procedure to fuse vertebrae in the lower back. It involves removing part of the spine bone and a disc to stabilize the area. |
23 | $1,155 | $9,754 |
| Computer-assisted spinal procedure A surgical or diagnostic procedure involving the spine that utilizes computer technology to assist with planning, navigation, or execution. |
21 | $193 | $1,216 |
| Lower spine bone removal to correct deformity A surgical procedure involving the incision or removal of a segment of bone from the lower spine to correct a structural deformity. |
20 | $1,356 | $12,024 |
| Spinal fusion of neck, posterior approach A surgical procedure to join two or more vertebrae in the cervical spine using a back approach to stabilize the neck. |
18 | $531 | $6,931 |
| Spinal stabilization device placement, 3-6 segments Surgical placement of a device to stabilize three to six vertebrae in the back. |
15 | $644 | $3,940 |
| Spinal bone segment removal to correct deformity A surgical procedure involving the incision or removal of a section of bone in the middle part of the spine. This is performed to correct a structural deformity. |
14 | $1,290 | $12,845 |
| Partial removal of spine bone with nerve release, 1 segment A surgical procedure involving the partial removal of a bone segment in the spine to relieve pressure on the spinal cord or nerves. This is performed on a single spinal segment. |
13 | $477 | $5,913 |
How to read this data: This reflects Medicare patients only (typically 65+). Payment amounts are what Medicare paid the provider, not your out-of-pocket cost. A higher procedure volume generally indicates more experience with that procedure.
66.3% high complexity
0.0% medium
33.7% routine
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗$6,784,836
Total received (2018-2024)
Avg $969,262/year across 7 years
Top 0% in CA for neurological surgery
A higher payment rank reflects disclosed industry relationships (consulting, research, speaking) common among subspecialists — not wrongdoing.
29
Companies
1,402
Individual payments
All payments are legal and publicly reported · Not evidence of wrongdoing · How to interpret →
Payment profile
Industry payments classified by relationship type. Not all payments are equal — research and consulting reflect different relationships than speaking programs or meals.
Financial / Ownership
Ownership or investment interests, royalties, and licensing fees
$6,186,732 (91.2%)
Consulting
Expert advisory fees, typically reflecting recognized clinical expertise
$525,229 (7.7%)
Speaking / Promotional
Speaker programs, honoraria, and industry-sponsored educational events
$50,863 (0.7%)
Meals & Travel
Food, beverages, travel, and lodging — typically low-value
$22,011 (0.3%)
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
2024
$1,165,780
2023
$1,015,782
2022
$811,074
2021
$786,438
2020
$1,576,964
2019
$781,698
2018
$647,099
Payments by company (2024)
Consulting
Speaking
Meals & Travel
Research
Medtronic, Inc.
$690,206
Hyhte Holdings Inc.
$186,112
DePuy Synthes Products, Inc.
$175,300
Alphatec Spine, Inc
$54,685
Carlsmed, Inc.
$24,282
Globus Medical, Inc.
$19,740
icotec Medical Inc.
$12,317
Medical Device Business Services, Inc.
$1,867
Stryker Corporation
$1,200
Carbofix Spine Inc
$71
Top 3 companies account for 90.2% of 2024 payments
All-time payments by company (2018-2024) ›
Medtronic, Inc.
$1,961,867
DePuy Synthes Products, Inc.
$1,453,855
Medtronic USA, Inc.
$1,084,941
Hyhte Holdings Inc.
$890,204
Stryker Corporation
$443,468
DePuy Synthes Products LLC
$348,244
Medical Device Business Services, Inc.
$186,635
Carlsmed, Inc.
$90,817
Medicrea USA, Corp.
$75,817
NuVasive, Inc.
$67,211
Alphatec Spine, Inc
$55,229
SPINEART USA INC
$24,807
K2M, Inc.
$23,831
Globus Medical, Inc.
$22,887
icotec Medical Inc.
$12,317
MiRus, LLC
$11,850
Spineart USA Inc
$10,707
Integra LifeSciences Corporation
$6,250
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc.
$3,401
Synthes GmbH
$2,440
Eisai Co., Ltd.
$2,070
Cerapedics, Inc.
$1,826
Spineart SA
$1,379
Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.
$1,373
SEASPINE ORTHOPEDICS CORPORATION
$957
Orthofix Medical, Inc.
$292
Carbofix Spine Inc
$71
TITAN SPINE, LLC
$48
Integrity Implants Inc
$44
Top 3 companies account for 66.3% of all-time payments
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
3-Degrees Anterior Cervical Plating (ACP) System · ACF · ACIS · ADVANCED PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT · ARCH · ASCENT;ASCENT LE;FIREBIRD SFS;ICON SFS;SFS · ATLAS · AVIATOR · Archon · AttraX · BACS · BRAINLAB · Battalion TLIF - PC · Bridalveil OCT · CALIBER · CASCADIA · CATALYFT PL EXPANDABLE INTERBODY SYSTEM · CD HORIZON · CD HORIZON SPINAL SYSTEM · CMF & Thoracic-None · CODMAN CERTAS · CONDUIT · DBX · DIVERGENCE · EUROPA Pedicle Screw System · EVEREST · EVEREST SPINAL SYSTEM · EXPEDIUM · Explorer TO · FIBERGRAFT · FIBULINK · GENERAL K2M PRODUCT DISCUSSION · GRAFTONAND GRAFTON PLUSDEMINERALIZED BONE MATRIX (DBM) · General K2M Product Discussion · INFINITY OCCIPITOCERVICAL UPPER THORACIC SYSTEM · INFINITY OCT System · INFUSE BONE GRAFT · IdentiTi · Invictus MIS · Invictus OPEN · MAGEC · MAKO · MAZOR X SYSTEM · MOUNTAINEER · Mariner MIS · Mazor X Stealth Edition · Mobile CR · NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT · NorthStar OCT · O-ARM · Other - Miscellaneous · PASS LP · PASS-LP · PILLAR AL PEEK Spacer System · Pulse · RELINE · ROMEO 2 · ROSA · SCARLET AL-T · SOVEREIGN SPINAL SYSTEM · STEALTH AUTOGUIDE SYSTEM · STEALTHSTATION S8 PLATFORM · SYMPHONY · SYNAPSE · SafeOp · Solus ALIF · Spine & Trauma 3D Navigation · Spine Product Portfolio · TrellOss · Trinity Elite · UNID_PASS · UNiD · Vail · Vu aPOD Prime NanoMetalene · YUKON · aprevo · i-FACTOR Putty · icotec BlackArmor Spine System · nanoLOCK
Should you be concerned? Payments from pharmaceutical and device companies are legal and common — 57% of U.S. physicians receive at least one. They often reflect legitimate consulting, research, or education. What matters is whether a recommended drug or device appears in your doctor's payment records. If so, consider asking your doctor about it. How to interpret this data →
Payments are distributed across multiple categories with no single dominant type. Total industry engagement is in the top 0% for neurological surgery in CA.
Data Sources
| Provider Registry | ✓ NPPES | Weekly updates |
| Medicare Enrollment | ✓ PECOS | Monthly updates |
| Practice Data | ✓ Medicare Util. | Annual (CY lag) |
| Industry Payments | ✓ Open Payments | CY 2024 |
| Disciplinary History | — Not public | N/A |
This provider has data in 4 of 4 available federal datasets, with a Data Coverage level of Very High. This reflects how much public data is available about a provider. How we calculate this →
Summary
Dr. Ames is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 5% in CA), with mixed engagement industry engagement in the top 0% of CA peers, with 19 years of NPI registration.
This summary is auto-generated from federal data, describing data availability and patterns. Read our methodology →
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dr. Ames experienced with spinal fusion of additional segment?
Based on Medicare claims data, Dr. Ames performed 838 spinal fusion of additional segment services. Research suggests that higher procedure volume is often associated with better outcomes, particularly for complex procedures. Note that Medicare data only captures patients aged 65 and older, so the total practice volume across all patients is likely higher.
Does Dr. Ames receive payments from pharmaceutical companies?
Yes. Dr. Ames received a total of $6,784,836 from 29 companies across 1,402 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common among physicians — 57% of all U.S. physicians receive at least one industry payment. Patients may wish to ask their doctor about these relationships, especially if a recommended drug or device appears in the payment records.
How do Dr. Ames's costs compare to other neurological surgerists in San Francisco?
Dr. Ames's average Medicare payment per service is $290. Note that these figures represent what Medicare pays, not your out-of-pocket cost, which depends on your specific insurance plan and deductible. Procedure-level data above shows both what was submitted and what Medicare paid for each service type.
What does Data Coverage mean?
Data Coverage (currently Very High for Dr. Ames) measures how much public federal data is available about a provider. It is not a quality rating. A "Very High" or "High" level means the provider has data across multiple federal sources (NPPES, PECOS, Medicare Utilization, Open Payments), indicating a long track record of practice, Medicare participation, and industry disclosure. A "Low" or "Moderate" level may simply mean the provider is newer, does not see Medicare patients, or has not received any industry payments — none of which are inherently negative. Read our full methodology →
Is this data up to date?
Each data source has its own update cycle. Provider registry data (NPPES) is updated weekly. Medicare enrollment (PECOS) is updated monthly. Medicare practice data has a ~2 year lag — the most recent available is typically 2 years prior. Industry payment data (Open Payments) is published annually, usually in June, covering the prior calendar year. We display the data date prominently on each section so you always know how current it is. See our data freshness policy →
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About this page
All data on this page is sourced verbatim from public federal records published by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS): NPPES ↗, Open Payments ↗, Medicare Provider Utilization ↗, and PECOS. Publication is mandated by the Physician Payments Sunshine Act (§6002 ACA, 42 U.S.C. §1320a-7h) and the Freedom of Information Act.
This page is not medical advice, an endorsement, a recommendation, or a quality rating. Data Coverage reflects data completeness — how much federal information exists for this provider — not clinical performance, patient outcomes, or quality of care. Always verify information directly with the provider and consult a licensed clinician before making medical decisions.
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